The long noncoding RNA lncR492 inhibits neural differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells

RNA interference (RNAi) screens have been shown to be valuable to study embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal and they have been successfully applied to identify coding as well as noncoding genes required for maintaining pluripotency. Here, we used an RNAi library targeting >640 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) to probe for their role in early cell differentiation. Utilizing a Sox1-GFP ESC reporter cell line, we identified the lncRNA lncR492 as lineage-specific inhibitor of neuroectodermal differentiation. Molecular characterization showed that lncR492 interacts with the mRNA binding protein HuR and facilitates its inhibitory function by activation of Wnt signaling. Thus, lncRNAs modulate the fate decision of pluripotent stem cells.